We're all out there chasing our better selves (FredtheDuck chases on)

Monday Training Update (Week 14): Week Ending 4/22

This was the plan for the week:
M - 4.5 @ EA
Tu - 1 @ WU, 4 x 1 mi @ T w/ 1 min RI @ WU, 1 @ CD
Th - 0.5 @ WU, 4 mile progression (11:47, 10:58, 10:33, 10:03), 0.5 @ CD
F - 5 @ EB + strides
S - 2 @ WU, 6 @ tempo, 2 @ CD

I think this week was technically the hardest in my plan. And the balance of easy/hard was probably tilted more towards hard because I skipped Monday, as I wrote last week.

I did my Tuesday run on the treadmill. I feel like maybe on one of the resting intervals, I slowed a little beyond my WU pace, but overall I think this run went fairly well. The first interval was definitely the hardest physically, the last one was just a mental exercise. It doesn't help that I've been up against the clock a lot in terms of my running finishing times, so the last little bit of a run is a little more challenging because I'm watching the time to see if I can finish the run before I need to get moving for work.

My Thursday run was SUPPOSED to be at the track. It was a nice enough day. But I woke up feeling not so great in the stomach department (a common theme, unfortunately), and felt like it was going to be smarter to stick close to home, so this was on the treadmill, too. Anyways, the notable thing about this run was how big of a hurdle the speed difference between the first and second progression miles is. Wait a minute, I just got in to this pace. Now you want me to speed up by almost a minute??? But then the nice thing was that the difference between 10:58 and 10:33 didn't seem huge, and 10:33 to 10:03 also felt fine (challenging, but doable). Again, I was up against the clock in terms of needing to finish and get ready for work, so it was actually kind of nice to have the run get faster towards the end.

Friday was lovely outside. I did my EB run outdoors and really enjoyed the sunrise. Garmin says my pace was 12:01/mi (my EB is 12:11), so that's getting better, too.

I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about my Saturday run. I was too fast on the WU (12:43 and 12:27 for miles 1 and 2, my WU pace is 13:50). My tempo miles were mostly fine, I just felt like I was grinding. I know you're supposed to, but I'm used to my LRs feeling a little bit more... comfortable. My pacing was OK. My tempo pace is 10:58. I did: 11:05, 10:55, 10:54, 10:45, 10:43, and 10:42. So I got faster as I went, which I know is good. I planned a route so that the nasty uphill I usually have to do was during my cool down miles. I still paced terribly for those. I think I was just ready to be done (and especially to get the big hill done). I did 12:10 and 11:58. I know I pace terribly for WU/CD miles, but that was bad even for me. It did feel nice and easy compared to tempo, but my Garmin blared at me the whole time.

So I guess it was a successful LR. I guess the reason I'm lukewarm about it is because I felt more sore in both my hips and my ankles than I have for most other LRs this cycle. I know the faster pacing is part of it. I also carried a water pack (like a vest) for hydration. I under-hydrated during my last 10 mile LR using just my hip belt, so I said anything over 8 needs the pack. Well, the pack made for some super sore shoulders and a sore upper back. I used a different bladder in it than I normally do, so I'm going to give it another shot during my 11 miler in early May using the "right" bladder to see if the different weight distribution helps. But if not, I'm going to have to think about my hydration strategy during the half in late May, because I'm not going to want to carry something that's going to make me that uncomfortable for those many miles. Maybe I'd just use my hip belt and have both bottles full of tailwind, then grab regular water from the aid stations? I liked the pack during my first HM because it meant I could keep moving and skip aid stations, I had water on demand. I don't know. I'll have to think about it.

So that was my week. I think I'm in the home stretch for this plan. I did get some running in this morning, although I had to cut a mile off. Better than the nothing I've been doing on my EA days. I'll take progress where I can find it.
 
@DopeyBadger when you have time, a couple of scheduling questions:

- My LR this weekend is scheduled for Saturday but that 10k I'm doing (at LR, I promise!) is on Sunday. Should I make any adjustments to compensate for moving my LR from Saturday to Sunday?
- I am slightly concerned about getting my 5/5 LR in. That was the one that was originally set to be a 5k race (at LR) plus another 8 miles. I'm not doing the race now because I have to be in California for a memorial service that weekend. I'm going to do my best to get the run in as scheduled, but if I can't find two plus hours that morning for a run (we have a lot of family stuff surrounding the memorial and I need to be there for them), is there an alternative that I can do that would be impactful? Or should my goal just be get as long of an LR (@ LR pace) in as I can find the time to do?
- My half marathon is going to be on Saturday (5/19), not Sunday. Any changes to the rest of that week, since we originally thought I was going to be doing a Sunday race?
 
- My LR this weekend is scheduled for Saturday but that 10k I'm doing (at LR, I promise!) is on Sunday. Should I make any adjustments to compensate for moving my LR from Saturday to Sunday?

I think stick with 6.2 miles instead of 8 miles. Also, be wary of how you're feeling for Tuesday's Daniels T. That's a VERY hard Daniels T.

- I am slightly concerned about getting my 5/5 LR in. That was the one that was originally set to be a 5k race (at LR) plus another 8 miles. I'm not doing the race now because I have to be in California for a memorial service that weekend. I'm going to do my best to get the run in as scheduled, but if I can't find two plus hours that morning for a run (we have a lot of family stuff surrounding the memorial and I need to be there for them), is there an alternative that I can do that would be impactful? Or should my goal just be get as long of an LR (@ LR pace) in as I can find the time to do?

Get in as many miles as you feel comfortable with. No one run makes or breaks the plan. Stick with the LR pacing.

- My half marathon is going to be on Saturday (5/19), not Sunday. Any changes to the rest of that week, since we originally thought I was going to be doing a Sunday race?

No Friday EA. Instead Friday will be EB + Strides at 2 miles, as long as it is done in the morning (assuming Saturday's HM is in the morning). If the race is Saturday morning, and you can not run Friday morning, then skip the Friday workout. Don't want the Friday workout and Saturday race too close to each other in terms of time of day.
 
I think stick with 6.2 miles instead of 8 miles. Also, be wary of how you're feeling for Tuesday's Daniels T. That's a VERY hard Daniels T.



Get in as many miles as you feel comfortable with. No one run makes or breaks the plan. Stick with the LR pacing.



No Friday EA. Instead Friday will be EB + Strides at 2 miles, as long as it is done in the morning (assuming Saturday's HM is in the morning). If the race is Saturday morning, and you can not run Friday morning, then skip the Friday workout. Don't want the Friday workout and Saturday race too close to each other in terms of time of day.


Thank you! This all sounds good. Now I'm totally dreading that Tuesday T!
 


Quick PSA to say that I'm going to delay my weekly recap to tomorrow. I'm feeling rather negative about running in general right now and I think it might just be me being cranky and tired (read: we're at burnout stage of the training plan). I have a tough run tomorrow and want to see if it leaves me feeling the same or if I feel better after getting through it (fingers crossed).
 
Quick PSA to say that I'm going to delay my weekly recap to tomorrow. I'm feeling rather negative about running in general right now and I think it might just be me being cranky and tired (read: we're at burnout stage of the training plan). I have a tough run tomorrow and want to see if it leaves me feeling the same or if I feel better after getting through it (fingers crossed).
You. Got. This. <3
 


Just dropping in to say hi and that I’m really behind on everyone’s journals, but I’m here, and you’ve got this! One day at a time, one mile at a time, or one interval at a time...whatever works. :)
 
Thanks for the encouragement, everyone. This morning's run was fine. I think I'm just tired. My current discontent with running doesn't have so much to do with the physical side, I'm fine there, it has to do with the time/timing of it. Last week was a prime example:


Monday Training Update (Week 15): Week Ending 4/29

This was the plan for the week:
M - 4.5 @ EA
Tu - 5 @ EB + strides
Th - 0.5 @ WU, 4 @ tempo, 0.5 @ CD
F - 5 @ EB + strides
S - originally supposed to be 8 @ LR

This was a crummy week in terms of running. I had to cut a mile off my Monday run for time. I've skipped a few EA runs, so I considered it a win that I got any miles in. Tuesday, I got my whole run in. I ran outside, and it was nice.

Thursday, though, DH had to leave for a business trip. The plan was that I was going to get up at my normal time and jump on the treadmill. Since DH wouldn't be there to take care of kiddo when she woke up, I would put the nest cam on and when I saw her moving, I'd cut my run (if necessary) and go get her. Well, it was entirely moot, because kiddo was up at 5:15, which was 2 seconds after I had gotten dressed for my run. There would be no morning run for me, because she's too young for me to run on the treadmill while she entertains herself. So, I packed up my gym bag and decided I'd get some miles in on the work treadmill. Only problem is that I work an altered schedule that has a 30 minute lunch break. I figured I'd stay an extra 30 minutes so that I could have a full hour, but that only left me about 45 minutes for running before I had to hit the showers. So that run got cut short by a mile. 3 miles tempo instead of 4. Fine. I guess still better than nothing, but my second mileage adjustment for the week.

Friday, the plan was the same. I'd jump on the treadmill, and if she woke up while I was running, I'd grab her. My dad was there, too, and offered to step in so that I could finish my run if she got up early. Great! All set for success, right? Not so. At 2:00 AM kiddo woke up softly calling for milk. I thought it was her dreaming, but it went on and on and on, so I finally went in to her room to resettle her, only to find out that she was running a high fever and was breathing so hard it looked like she had run sprints. Off to urgent care we went. We were there from 2:45 to a little after 6:00 AM. When we got home, we both went to bed and I slept for an hour. But I was also on deadline at work, so I couldn't just take the day off, so up I got at my regular start time (7:30). And of course DH was still traveling for work. So I worked with her home. And it was fine. But the only time I had to run was during her nap, and well... I had only slept about 4 hours total. So I napped. Because that was the right thing to do. But it also meant that I totally missed Friday's run.

Saturday was more taking care of a sick kid, but Coach and I had already modified Saturday. My weekend LR was going to be Sunday during Pike's Peek, the 10k I really enjoy. I did fine. I mostly stuck to the pacing I was supposed to stick to (LR instead of racing). My LR pace is 11:47, I finished with an average pace of 11:30. With the net downhill of the race, I'm happy I stayed that close. I'm also happy because it means I finished faster than last year, even though this was an easy LR pace. Last year I fully raced it. It was my first 10k and I had no idea what I was doing. So to do it this year as an easy-paced race and still finish faster was kind of a cool sign of progress.

And then I woke up on Monday just mad that I was waking up to run. I was still so tired. My sick kid hadn't been napping well, and I had been up several times every night that she was sick doling out medication to keep her fever down. DH got home on Sunday night so I asked him to respond if she called for anything. She did, and he took care of it. But it still woke me up. And 20 minutes later she woke up crying and upset again, and this time it was me who went in. So when morning rolled around and it was time to get up to run, I was cranky. I want to succeed as a runner and I want to continue to make it a priority, but I sometimes have a really hard time doing that if it means I have to operate on less than five hours of sleep, or I have to miss something in order to get a run in. But the inverse is also true, and I get cranky when I have to cut distance off a run because other stuff took priority. I just wish it fit more seamlessly in to my day. And... my goodness. I am tired.

I'm mostly done whining. But last night was another prime example. I'm operating on four hours of sleep today. I knew today's T repeats were a big deal. So I had a mighty debate with myself at 2:00 AM about what I was going to do. I'm on a huge work deadline today and tomorrow, so I'm not going to be able to run during the day. It was either get up and run at 5:00 or skip it. Running ended up winning out, but it came at the cost of an extra hour of sleep that I feel like I really could have used, too. Whatever. It got done. I just wish I was more enthusiastic about it... like most runs last week, it just felt like a chore.
 
Sounds like a tough stretch! Hoping things turn around. Skipping a run here or there is fine when the outcome is more sleep.
 
OK. Now that I got my whining out of the way, here are two bits of good news:

The first: Despite the fact that getting out the door for my run this morning was a mental challenge, I feel really good about the run itself. Coach had warned me that it might be challenging. @jennamfeo had done the same run last week and while I think she nailed it, I know she didn't feel super great about it. So... I wasn't exactly excited for this one. Dread isn't the right word. But... what if I couldn't do it? Given how short of sleep I was and that I'm on work deadline, the original plan was that I was going to do this on the treadmill. But I woke up and it was in the high forties, and I wanted to see what I could do without the treadmill setting the pace for me. So outside I went. It is getting lighter earlier, which makes me feel a little safer heading to the track, so I headed that way. The run was supposed to be .5 mi at WU, 2 miles at T, 2 mins of rest, 2 more at T, and .5 mi @ CD. My WU/CD pace is 13:50 and my T pace is 10:11. Here's my Garmin:

upload_2018-5-1_8-53-11.png

The first mile of the first T interval was on the roads, second on the track, then I reversed route and the first mile of the second T interval was on the track, then the second on the road heading back towards home. The best part? I felt GOOD during the Ts. I actually had to ease back on the gas because I started out too fast, and once I eased up, I felt in control, with steady breathing. Still an effort, for sure, but manageable. My legs feel fine now, too, although I'm making it a point to get up and walk around more today. So it went well, I think, and I'm happy about that.

The second bit of good news that I can share here now that people IRL that need to know do: I'm starting a new job later this month. Why is it good news when it comes to running? I'll be working from home! No more hour plus commute each way. That should give me more time to both run and sleep. The job will be a lot more work and represents a big promotion, so I will still have to manage my time carefully. But I'm super excited about the work, and I'm also thrilled to have two hours back every day. WAHOOO!!!
 

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Sounds like a tough stretch! Hoping things turn around. Skipping a run here or there is fine when the outcome is more sleep.

Thanks. It's fine. I'm just overtired right now. I hate skipping runs and I've already had to miss a few, so I'm trying to stay consistent down the stretch. If you have time, can you help me think through this week/early next?

I'm NOT racing this Sunday, and we had this week laid out with different off days to accommodate a Sunday run that now isn't happening because I now need to be on a cross-country flight on Thursday and then again on Monday of next week. I can try to get my Thursday tempo in on Thursday morning but I may have to cut distance off to make the flight.

What if I moved Thursday's run to Wednesday (I know that's two hard workouts in a row, but see my post above to see how I feel about today's run), took Thursday off to fly/drive, ran my 5 @ EB on Friday instead of Saturday, and did my LR on Saturday instead of Sunday? The memorial service I'm flying for is on Sunday and I'm speaking/helping, so I'm more likely to have time to get some miles in on Saturday (even if I don't get the full 11 in) than on Sunday... there will be a lot of family stuff Sunday.

Then Monday I have that EA run. There's a chance I can get that in on the hotel treadmill before we catch our plan to fly home, but I'll have to play that by ear.
 
What if I moved Thursday's run to Wednesday (I know that's two hard workouts in a row, but see my post above to see how I feel about today's run), took Thursday off to fly/drive, ran my 5 @ EB on Friday instead of Saturday, and did my LR on Saturday instead of Sunday? The memorial service I'm flying for is on Sunday and I'm speaking/helping, so I'm more likely to have time to get some miles in on Saturday (even if I don't get the full 11 in) than on Sunday... there will be a lot of family stuff Sunday.

Just skip the Tempo run. Much better to skip it, then put it on tomorrow regardless of how today's T run felt. Way too risky. The rest of the adjustments sound good to me.
 
Just skip the Tempo run. Much better to skip it, then put it on tomorrow regardless of how today's T run felt. Way too risky. The rest of the adjustments sound good to me.

Sounds good, thanks. If I can get some miles in before I leave for the airport, I'll go ahead and try to.
 
I should say though, that instead of the Tempo run tomorrow you could just do an easy day. So skip the hard part of the run for Wed, but you could still run.
 
Hooray for working from home! I can work from home two days per month and it is the best time of the entire month! LOL.
 
The best part? I felt GOOD during the Ts.
YES YES YES. So glad to hear that you nailed this workout. It was a tough one while happening for me, but looking back I was like...
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YAY for a work from home job! You travel soooo much, will you still have to travel too? I would be tired all the time with work + running + traveling + family. WOO. You are a rockstar!
 
I should say though, that instead of the Tempo run tomorrow you could just do an easy day. So skip the hard part of the run for Wed, but you could still run.

I've decided I'm going to make a gametime call on that based on what time I get to bed tonight and whether my kid wakes me up overnight or not. I haven't had a night with at least 6 hours of sleep in a week, so I feel like I need to make that a priority. BUT. If I sleep in, maybe I can sneak a few miles in on the treadmill at work.

Hooray for working from home! I can work from home two days per month and it is the best time of the entire month! LOL.

I feel ya! I'm super excited about it. We're redoing our home office in preparation and it's going to be such a great space. I'm also a little nervous though... I hope I don't feel too isolated.

YES YES YES. So glad to hear that you nailed this workout. It was a tough one while happening for me, but looking back I was like...
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Bwahahahaha I love it, and I totally get it. Also, thanks! I was happy that I did NOT die.

YAY for a work from home job! You travel soooo much, will you still have to travel too? I would be tired all the time with work + running + traveling + family. WOO. You are a rockstar!

Yeah, been a busy few months for travel. Busier than usual, but we've had weddings and birthday surprises and showers and now a memorial service, all back in California. Another wedding in July. I WILL be traveling for work, but hopefully not super extensively. My future firm is based in Atlanta, so I'll be down there once in a while, but that's a quick trip from here. True story though: My last day here is 5/18. That night, we drive to St. Michael's for the half marathon. I run the half on 5/19 and we drive home. We're going to a baseball game at home that night because the Dodger's will be in town and DH is from LA. 5/20 I'm on a plane to Atlanta. So that'll be a whirlwind few days.

Thank you for your kind words! Motivating on a day like today.

I am le tired. (I hope someone gets this reference.)

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DISNEY PLANNING UPDATE:

Ok. ADRs open in a couple of days. Thoughts on an Ohana dinner with a toddler (she'll be just shy of three)? I keep reading that it's good to take kids to... but like... toddler kids?

We're trying to figure out what to do for dinner on our AK day. We're doing Tusker for breakfast/brunch. Do we do Boma/Jiko/Sanaa for dinner and make it a full AK day? Or do we do an earlier breakfast at Tusker, spend the day at AK, but head back towards EPCOT (we'll have park hoppers) for dinner? As it stands, we're at EPCOT our arrival afternoon/evening (dinner at San Angel) and our departure morning (Akershus maybe... still deciding).

I ended up deciding against BOG/CRT on our MK days. She's going to get characters at both Tusker and Akershus. Although I'm still super tempted to book a brunch at Crystal Palace. Dinners on our two MK days are going to be at Skipper Canteen (we haven't been) and Liberty Tree (we've been).
 

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